A 38-year-old Oakland Township resident is facing six felony counts, including possession of child pornography.
According to an Oakland County Sheriff’s Department report, lawyer Paul Anthony Carthew was arrested in conjunction with photos found on a laptop by Carthew’s girlfriend at his Addison Township cottage this past January.
The police investigation led to charges last week in 52-3 District Court, including three counts of using a computer to commit a crime (a seven-year felony for each count) and three counts of possessing child sexually abusive material (a four-year felony for each count).
Among the photos discovered by the girlfriend were several shots of her adolescent daughter, which deputies said appeared to be someone zooming in on clothed private areas. The investigation revealed that the daughter had not been sexually touched or sexually involved with the Carthew in any way.
Carthew and the girl’s mother had what deputies described as an ‘on again, off again? relationship.
Over 25,000 images were found on the laptop by the sheriff’s computer crimes unit, many of which were sexually graphic in nature.
‘They involved not only adults having sex, but also involved animals,? the report said. ‘Suspected images of children were also discovered.?
Carthew was given a $50,000 personal bond and is due back in court next Tuesday.
Carthew declined to comment, but his lawyer said the issue will be resolved in court and his client denies the allegations.